Security programs for Windows 7

Any vendor has the right and could discontinue their Windows 7 product.  However, they will be driven by two factors:

1. How much more they have to pay to keep their Windows 7 version up to date
2. How big the market is for the product.

As long as that balance produces a reasonable profit, they are likely to continue to offer the Win7 product.  Considering that Win7 still has something like a 40% presence on the Internet, I suspect those products will continue to be available for some time.  Witness the availability of such product for Windows XP

My first advice (which is based on years of servicing 150 client systems or so) is do not buy a "security" product.  All you need is an antivirus product.  The other components in the security products are much more likely to cause all kinds of conflicts.

You can and should use this source to judge the products.  It is an un-biased not for profit organization that has been doing this for years:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/

The latest report:  https://www.av-comparatives.org/comparison/

I hope that you have an Anti-Virus program installed (such as for example Microsoft Security Essentials)....

Windows Defender in Windows 7 is NOT an Anti-Virus program...

Suggest reading the replies in this thread: Anti-Virus for Windows 7

Windows defender as an anti-spyware program only came as a download for XP.

But in those days, we used Spybot S & D, etc.

The first operating system that Windows Defender came as part of the OS was VISTA, then 7.

Microsoft then "transformed" it into an Anti-virus for 8, 8,1 and 10..

That Windows Defender anti-spyware program was also used to manage start-up programs.

But it was not popular at all for that.

This is something I wrote about it years ago:

Windows Defender in Vista/windows 7 is an Anti-Spyware Program, not an Anti-Virus Program.

You should have an Anti-Virus installed.

If you are using Norton, AVG, Avira, Microsoft Security Essentials, McAfee, etc the default action is for Windows Defender to be disabled, as those AntiVirus Programs have their own Antispyware Applications.

It is nothing to be worried about.

Using the two Programs at the same time can cause System conflicts, etc.

 ________________________________________

If you are using a different Anti-Virus, please read this:

"How to Start/Stop Windows Defender service"

http://computerstepbystep.com/windows\_defender\_service.html

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If you wish to have extra protection against Malware use the FREE version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes\_free

And to now change Startup Programs in Windows 7 without using Defender, use either of these Methods:

"How to use MSCONFIG in Windows 7"

http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig\_win7.html

Or the FREE Autoruns Program:

"Autoruns for Windows"

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902

Cheers.

Windows Defender for Windows 7 is NOT an antivirus program.  It is anti-spyware only, which is far from the same thing.

Microsoft has needlessly confused many people by using the same name for different products.  Windows Defender started as an anti-spyware program in Windows XP and Windows 7.  In Windows 8 and Windows 10, Windows Defender is an antivirus program.

The corresponding free antivirus program for Windows 7 is Microsoft Security Essentials.  If you want to use that, you better download it soon. 

To answer your implied question, it's not clear when Microsoft will stop providing virus definitions for Microsoft Security Essentials.  I've seen articles that suggest that support will end at the same time support for Windows 7 itself ends (Jan 14, 2020) and other reports that speculate that Microsoft will continue to provide antivirus signatures for MSE for a year or so after the end of Windows 7 support.  See, e.g., https://www.computerworld.com/article/3322618/the-definitive-windows-7-retirement-timeline-countdown.html

Third-party programs, including both antivirus programs and web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)  are likely to continue to support Windows 7 for some time after January 2020, but I haven't seen any specific information about this.  As far as malware protection is concerned, see the discussion here, especially posts #3 and #7, about MalwareBytes (which is not free, but is very good):  https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/244955-support-for-windows-7-is-ending/

PS...

A bit more info:

Windows Defender in Windows 7 is just a most meagre Anti-Spyware program and is/should be automatically disabled as soon as an Anti-Virus program (i.e. Microsoft's own program Microsoft Security Essentials) is installed.

> https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/help/antimalware-faq

Some Anti-Virus programs such as the one I am using - Emsisoft Anti-Malware - are not automatically disabling Windows Defender and it is advisable to do so manually.

> https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect_defender-protect_updating-windows_7/updates-for-windows-defender-in-windows-7/1f799940-6e88-4beb-95aa-3755c4957f8b